The Adjustment
by Creassya
Summary: sequel to Tow the Road trip


  
  
  
  
  
*******THE *  
ADJUSTMENT**  
  
By Creassya  
  
  
  
  
This takes place after TOW The Road Trip. The gang never made it to Florida to visit Chandler's Mom because of an unfortunate incident. Now Monica has to deal with the fact that she has lost her sight, and Chandler must deal with the realization that the men who blew up the store and caused Monica to become blind, could have his wallet and know where he lives.  
  
**SCENE:** (Virginia: Police Station)  
  
(Chandler is in the interrogation room talking to the two detectives who questioned him earlier that day)  
  
"Are you sure that you had your wallet on you when you went into the store?" Detective Myers asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure. I pushed it back in my pocket because it almost fell out."  
  
"And did you do this right before you went into the store?" Detective Donavan asked.  
  
"No. I pushed it back down in my pocket while I was in the store. Why does that matter?" Chandler asked messaging his temples.  
  
"It matters because you could have lost it before you stopped at the store." Detective Myers answered.  
  
"I'm positively sure that I had my wallet in my pocket when I went into the store."  
  
"All right. We have it all down. Just make sure that you cancel all your credit cards and everything." Detective Myers said as he was writing something down.  
  
"I know. And you have my cell phone number, and the number to the hotel right?" Chandler asked the detectives.  
  
(They both nodded and Chandler left. He wished that he had lost his wallet before they went to the store, but he remembered pushing his wallet back down in his pocket when he was looking for something to drink. He took a cab back to the hospital. He wanted to spend all of his time there with Monica. When he returned to her room she wanted to know where he went. He didn't want to lie to her, and he didn't want to upset her or worry her by telling her the truth, but he knew that if he didn't tell her the truth, she would sense that he was lying to her)  
  
"What are we gonna do?" Monica asked nervously.  
  
"I don't know. I was thinking about going to my Mom's house. We all were going there anyway. It'll be safer until they catch them."  
  
"Chandler, what if they don't catch them? Are we supposed to stay at your Mom's house forever?"  
  
"I never thought about that." He said. "I don't know what to do."  
  
"I don't think they'll come all the way to New York. Monica said, trying to reassure Chandler and herself.  
  
(Four days later, the gang arrives in New York. Before they left Virginia, they caught the two suspects that they identified at the store. Chandler, Rachel, Joey, and Ross, were asked to return to the police station to make a positive identification. Monica was asked if she heard anything, or saw anything before the explosion, but she was of no help. Nothing happened until she left the store. Ross, Joey, and Rachel identified the guy with the thin mustache, and Chandler identified the other guy who was tall, with black hair, and a mole on the right side of his nose)  
  
(Everyone was getting their luggage out of the mini-van while Chandler helped Monica out of the van. They carried their luggage up the their apartments. Monica had insisted that she carry some of her own bags so that they wouldn't have to carry extra bags up the stairs, but Chandler only allowed her to carry one. He had his left arm around her waist, and he was holding her hand with his right hand. He counted the number of steps as they headed up to their apartments. Joey and Ross had to make another trip back downstairs to get the rest of Rachel's bags being that she was on crutches)  
  
(When they came into Monica and Rachel's apartment, Jack, Judy, and Nora were waiting for them. They all hugged Monica, then Chandler, and Rachel. Nora had tears in her eyes, and Judy held on to Monica, not wanting to let her go. Once everyone was done hugging each other and crying, they all sat in the living room to talk)  
  
"So they caught the suspects?" Jack asked.  
  
"No, well...they only caught two." "They're still looking for the third suspect." Rachel said.  
  
"The two suspects they have in custody won't tell the police where the other suspect is." Ross added.  
  
"Guys, no offense, but we really don't wanna talk about this right now." "It's our first day back." Chandler said, a little frustrated.  
  
"He's right." "We're sorry." Jack apologized.  
  
(They were all silent for a while. After about a minute, they found something else to talk about. Three hours later, they left. Nora was staying at a hotel for a few days. Rachel went into her room with the help of Joey, and Chandler carried Monica into her room. She didn't want him to because of the cast on his arm, but he insisted. He gently laid her on the bed and made sure she was comfortable. Once she was comfortable he started unpacking her clothes)  
  
"Chandler?" "What are you doing?"  
  
"Oh, I'm unpacking your things."  
  
"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah, I guess. You usually unpack the same day that you return home. I just thought I'd do it for you." He said with a slight frown.  
  
"I know, but I know what you can do for me."  
  
"What is it?" He asked.  
  
"Can you come over here with me?" She said.  
  
(Chandler walks over and sits on the bed next to her.)  
  
"Anything you want honey." He said with a smile.  
  
(Monica reaches for his face and Chandler comes closer. She puts her hands to his face and begins to trace his lips with her fingers. She slowly moves her hands up toward his forehead, down to his eyes, and nose, then back to his mouth. Since she's lost her sight she felt the need to touch his face more often. She usually does that when she kisses him, but now that she can't see him, she felt the need to trace his facial features with her hands. He didn't ask why she did that because he enjoyed it, and he knew it was important to her. He would do the same thing if he were blind. When she would touch his face, he would sigh contentedly and close his eyes. She put her hands to his chest and arms. He put his right hand to her face and caressed her cheek. Then he looked into her eyes, and kissed her passionately. When they break apart, she has a smile on her face)  
  
"Wow, I haven't seen that smile all week!" He said smiling.  
  
"You're a great kisser. Did I ever tell you that? She asked rubbing his chest.  
  
"Yeah, but I haven't heard you say it in a while. I thought maybe I've lost my touch." He said lacing his fingers through hers.  
  
"Never sweetie. You're the best." She said laughing.  
  
"At kissing?" He asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Not just kissing silly. At other things too."  
  
"Okay, now I'm blushing." He said smiling.  
  
(She wished that she could see it. Chandler had the cutest smile. It's one of the first things that attracted her to him)  
  
"Good. I like making you blush. Among other things." She said smiling.  
  
"Hey, same here. Y'know Mrs. Geller, we have a lot in common."  
  
"Yeah, we do." She said squeezing his right hand.  
  
(It was nice to see her smiling and laughing. He didn't think that would happen until she got her sight back. The first couple days of her not being able to see, she cried a lot, but after that, she seemed to be doing better. She wasn't feeling sorry for herself. Chandler didn't understand that. If it were him, he probably wouldn't be able to be that strong. He was impressed with the way Monica was handling the situation. He sat there gazing at her)  
  
"Sweetie, what is it?" She asked.  
  
"Huh?" He asked off guard.  
  
"What's going on?" She asked touching his face.  
  
"Why do you ask? He said.  
  
"Because, I can feel you staring at me." She answered laughing.  
  
"Wow. That's what I was doing. I can't help it gorgeous." Chandler said smiling.  
  
"My senses are heightened now." She said.  
  
"Yeah, I can tell. Hey, can you sense how much I love you?" He asked with his forehead resting again hers.  
  
"I think so." She said with a grin.  
  
"Well, I'll just have to show you then."  
  
(Chandler starts kissing Monica really slowly and passionately. They kissed off and on like that for fifteen minutes and they were about to go further until Rachel walked in, and they reluctantly pull apart)  
  
"Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were in here Chandler. I would have knocked." Rachel said embarrassed.  
  
"It's okay." Chandler said.  
  
"You look like you're enjoying yourself Mon." Rachel said smiling.  
  
"I was." Monica said laughing.  
  
"You need help with anything Rach?" Chandler asked.  
  
"No, I'm fine. Just checking on Mon. But I can see she's in good hands."  
  
(Rachel closes the door. Monica puts her hands to his face and they start kissing again. After about ten minutes into the kiss, things are starting to really heat up. They're lying down now. Chandler is between Monica's legs, and she reaches down to unbutton his pants while his kissing her and running his fingers through her hair. Chandler stops kissing her and starts passionately kissing her neck. Monica whispers, I love you in his ear, and suddenly he starts having flashbacks. He slowly gets up off her and sits on the bed with his hand covering his face. Monica sits up)  
  
"Sweetie, what's wrong?" She asked concerned.  
  
"I'm sorry honey. I keep seeing the explosion. And I keep seeing you on a stretcher. I thought you were dead."  
  
"Chandler, I'm not dead. I'm here with you. Don't forget that."  
  
(Chandler looks at Monica, then puts his head on her lap. He was glad that she was alive and here with him, but he couldn't stop seeing images of what happened that night)  
  
**SCENE:** (Chandler and Joey's: A week later)  
  
(Chandler and Monica are there. He's helping her to memorize the apartment. He was working with her all week. Rachel helped out everyday also. Rachel is out of work until her ankle heals, Chandler worked from home, and Monica is on disability. When they really needed him at work, he would go in for a couple hours, and come right back home. Chandler hated to leave Monica for even a minute, even though he knew she wasn't alone and had help. He didn't even want her to go the refrigerator without him because he was afraid she would run into something and fall)  
  
"You're doing good honey. Now I'm on the couch. Just listen to the sound of my voice."'  
  
"All right." She said walking closer to the couch.  
  
"Good, you're almost here."  
  
(She gets near the couch, and tries to sit down, but almost falls because she's not close enough to sit down)  
  
"Honey let me.....  
  
"Chandler, I can do it! She said irritated.  
  
(Chandler was a tremendous help to her, but he was getting on her nerves. He didn't want her to do anything by herself. Whenever she got up, he was beside her in a heartbeat. And whenever they came close to having sex, he would freak out. She understood that he was having flashbacks and he couldn't control them, but she wanted to try to forget about that night, and he talked about it all the time. She sits down beside him. She sensed that his feelings were hurt)  
  
"Chandler, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just that this is really hard for me, and I'm trying to do the best that I can, but you won't let me do anything for myself. I need to learn how to be independent. I might not regain my sight for up to a year or so, and I can't have everybody doing everything for me. You guys have jobs, and I'm gonna be alone sometimes. I have to depend on myself. No matter how much you hate it."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry. I just can't help it. I feel so worthless. I feel like I can't do anything for you." He said sadly  
  
"That's not true. You can kiss me, and hold me. You can make me laugh. I've lost my sight. I need something to laugh at occasionally to take my mind off things. I need for you to be good company. I can handle the rest. Can you do that?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah, I can do that." He said holding her hand.  
  
"Good."  
  
"Hey, I have an idea. How about I make this memorization game fun."  
  
"I'm listening." She said.  
  
"Okay. Every time you reach your destination, you get to kiss me. I'll go stand by the door, and when you reach the door, you get a wonderful kiss from Chandler, as a reward." He said standing up.  
  
"Hmmmm...sound good to me.  
  
(Chandler walks to the door, and Monica gets up. She puts her hands out in front of her for balance and slowly walks toward the door. She gets to the counter and feels her way around it, and makes her way to the sink, and then the refrigerator. Chandler slowly moves from the door to the foosball table smiling. When Monica reaches the door, she begins to feel around it until she finds the door knob)  
  
"Hey, you're not playing fair. I reached the door, now I want my wonderful kiss." She said smiling.  
  
(Chandler walks over to her smiling. Monica is standing with her back against the door. Chandler stands in front of her for a few seconds then kisses her. It's a really slow, sexy kiss. The kiss is so good to Monica that she moans a little. It looks as if they're about to have sex, but while they're up against the door, Joey opens the door to come in and Monica gets hit in the head)  
  
"Oww." Monica said rubbing the back of her head.  
  
"Oh, sorry guys." Joey said, coming in.  
  
"I guess we shouldn't be this close to the door huh?" Chandler asked smiling.  
  
"I think you're right." Monica answered with mock seriousness.  
  
"Did I just interrupt something?" Joey asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
(Chandler and Monica both smile)  
  
"I thought so." He said.  
  
**SCENE:** (Monica and Rachel's: 2 weeks later)  
  
(Chandler and Monica are asleep. It's 2:30am. Chandler is having a nightmare about the explosion. He sits upright suddenly, waking Monica)  
  
"Chandler." She said turning over to face him.  
  
"Yeah honey." He answered out of breath.  
  
"Are you having another nightmare?"  
  
"Yeah. I'll be all right. Go back to sleep."  
  
"Chandler, are you sure you're all right?"   
  
Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be back. I have to use the bathroom."  
  
(Chandler goes to the bathroom and starts crying. Sleep was difficult. And whenever he slept he had nightmares. Being that they hadn't caught the third suspect, he feared for their life. Whenever he expressed his concern, Monica got upset. Monica losing her sight was killing him inside. He couldn't handle it. He tried really hard to be cheerful and funny, but it was hard. He wanted to talk about the night of the explosion, but she didn't. She said that she wanted to put it behind her and get on with her life. And that there was nothing anybody could do about it. So he decided that he would keep his feelings to himself. He was never the type of person to cry, but ever since the explosion, he's cried everyday)  
  
(Monica sits up in bed waiting for Chandler to return from the bathroom. She worried about him. She knew that he was upset. She could feel it. He had nightmares every night, and so did she. She didn't want to tell anybody. It was bad enough that everyone felt sorry for her losing her sight, but she didn't want them to pity her for having nightmares also. When she gets up out of the bed, Chandler comes back in the room)  
  
"Mon, where are you going?" He asked sitting on the bed.  
  
"Oh, I was just coming to see if you were all right."  
  
"I'm fine honey." He lied.  
  
"Chandler, you know I can sense when something's wrong. Talk to me about it."  
  
"I don't want to talk about it okay. And even if I did you wouldn't let me anyway, so just drop it." He said irritated.  
  
(Chandler gets back up and leaves the room. Monica gets back in the bed. Her feelings were hurt. She felt like crying. She couldn't believe he snapped at her like that. She knew that her being blind would cause some friction between them, but she didn't think that they would be snapping at each other. She realized that her losing her sight was hard on him, but it was hard on her also. If she could accept it, why couldn't he? she wondered. Then all of a sudden she realized how selfish she was being. Chandler could have been beaten to death, shot, or even blown up with the two store clerks. And even when he made it out alive, he saw the store blow up and thought she was still inside because she wasn't in the van with the rest of them. He was going through hell and she hadn't been there for him. He was in pain and he needed her to comfort him like he was doing for her. She felt so guilty. She lay in bed crying)  
  
**SCENE:** (Chandler and Joey's: The next day)  
  
(Monica knocks on the door, and Joey lets her in on his way out. She knocks on Chandler's bedroom door and walks in)  
  
"Hi honey. I was on my way over." He said.  
  
"I'm sorry Chandler." She said walking over to the bed and sitting down beside him.  
  
"Why are you sorry? I'm the one who snapped at you. I'm so sorry honey." He said looking into her eyes.  
  
"No, don't apologize. I've been selfish lately. I've been expecting you to be there for me. But I haven't been there for you. This has been hell on you, but I didn't see it. I couldn't understand why you were taking me losing my sight so hard, but you suffered a broken wrist because you were fighting for your life, and you thought that I was still in the store when it blew up. You've been trying to comfort me and cheer me up, and I never once did the same. I'm so sorry sweetie. I love you, and I'm here for you now.  
  
"I love you too." He said with tears in his eyes.  
  
"I've been taking you for granted, and I don't wanna do that anymore." She said.  
  
"You don't take me for granted."  
  
"Lately I have. I love you more than anything Chandler, and I don't want you to feel like you have to keep things to yourself because of me."  
  
"Monica, you're being too hard on yourself."  
  
"Chandler...I feel so bad that I haven't been here for you lately. You have been amazing. I don't know what I would do without you."  
  
"Me too." He said hugging Monica.  
  
"We have been snapping at each other." He said breaking the embrace.  
  
"We just need to deal with each other better. We have to talk to each other."  
  
"I know." He said.  
  
"I know you've been wanting to talk to me about the nightmares, and what happened that night, but I kept saying that I didn't want to talk about it. I was being selfish, and I'm sorry." She said putting her head down.  
  
"Honey, you don't have to keep apologizing." He said touching her face.  
  
(They sit and talk for hours. Monica finally told Chandler that she's been having nightmares too. He wasn't surprised. He was just waiting for Monica to tell him)  
  
**SCENE:** (Monica and Rachel's: 3 weeks later)  
  
(Monica is coming out of her room. She was walking without holding her hands out in front of her. She walked a little past the table when she tripped and fell. Chandler then walks in the apartment. He walks toward her bedroom and notices that she's on the floor. He hurries over and helps her get up off the floor)  
  
"What happened?" He asked.  
  
"I tripped. I guess I should always hold out my arms when I walk huh? It helps me keep my balance."  
  
"You didn't hurt yourself did you?" He asked.  
  
"No." I'm fine. It's so weird. I have nightmares, and I can see in my dreams, but when I wake up, I expect to see, the way I see in my dreams. I blink my eyes, and even rub them thinking that the darkest would somehow disappear."  
  
"It will honey." Chandler said.  
  
"I don't know. It feels like I'll never get my sight back. I mean, the doctors said it could be 2 months, or two years." She said sadly.  
  
"Or it could be sooner." Chandler said trying to sound hopeful.  
  
"I know. It just doesn't seem like it."  
  
"I would trade places with you in a minute if I could." He said.  
  
"Chandler, stop saying that. I wouldn't want you too. I would rather go through this than to have you go through this." She said.  
  
"I think we should get help with this." He suggested.  
  
"What are you talking about?" She asked.  
  
"I'm mean...I think we should see a psychiatrist." He said holding her hand.  
  
"I think you're right." She said feeling his left arm.  
  
"I sick of not being able to sleep." He said.  
  
"Sweetie you got your cast off!"  
  
"Yeah, I felt like I had that thing on forever. Rachel gets hers taking off tomorrow right?"  
  
"Yeah. She would have been able to get it taken off last week, but the doctor ordered her to stay off of it for another week because she walks on it all the time." She said.  
  
"Well, my wrist feels as good as new." He said smiling.  
  
**SCENE:** (Central Perk: A week later)  
  
(The gang is there. Chandler has his arm around Monica and she's leaning on his shoulder. They're all talking and laughing. They don't notice that a guy walks in and takes a seat behind them at a small table. He's trying to listen to their conversation. He wanted to take action, but he didn't quite have a plan yet. He knew that he shouldn't be there. He should be out of the country, but he couldn't resist. He had to make some people pay. He suddenly decided that he would first find out exactly what these people knew, so he would know how to get even. He wouldn't leave the country until his job was done....)  
  
  
  
  
Who could this person be? And What does he intend to do to the people he wants to get even with?.....You'll have to wait and see:)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
